The Whomping Willow
by wildkidlexie
Summary: Come back, Teddy! Professor McGonagall said not to go near it!


**A/N: I was bored. I was reading about Teddy in other fanfiction. Then some idea popped into my head. This came. I know it's not much just a simple one shot about Teddy, who I really feel sorry for because he lost his parents, but happy that he found his way around the world without them living with him…**

**Enough of me talking. Hope you like the story, please review. **

"It doesn't make any sense to me." Sixteen-year-old Teddy jerked back his head and leaned on the couch. He looked around. Victoire looked at him thoughtfully. Teddy sighed and shrugged. "It really doesn't make any sense to me why McGonagall said that. I was just trying to have fun." Teddy's hair changed from green to red. Victoire smiled faintly. Every time his hair turned red, she knew that Teddy felt upset. "What is it with that she said?" Victoire could see Teddy's irritated face.

"I don't know," said Victoire softly, "but I do know you have to follow her or she'll definitely take points away from Gryffindor. You know we're already far behind winning the House Cup." Teddy shook his head in annoyance. Victoire walked over to him and sat beside him. "Why don't we study together, Teddy? You can teach me Herbology." She placed her book on his lap. "Please Teddy, stop thinking about it. It won't do you any good," she said.

Teddy shook his head again and pushed Victoire's book away. "I can't," he murmured. He sighed exasperatedly and looked at the crackling fire at the hearth. He felt warm on the outside, but felt bitterly cold inside. "Why? Why did Professor McGonagall want to keep me away from the Whomping Willow? There must be some reason. The Headmistress was never unreasonable. There must be something in that tree," he insisted.

"And we're not going to find out what it is," countered Victoire. "Can't you listen for once? I know you're annoyed, but there's nothing you can do. Besides, the Whomping Willow can hurt you. Did you see what it almost did to poor Annie Wood's owl? The Whomping Willow almost tore her to shreds and that's what's going to happen to you if you don't listen to Professor McGonagall. Besides, what's gotten you so interested in it? You've never been interested before."

Teddy shrugged. "I just felt the tree was calling me," he replied. Victoire raised an eyebrow. Teddy took Victoire's book into his hand. "Never mind what I just said. I'll teach you Herbology if you want. Which chapter don't you understand?" Victoire paused before pointing to the pages she wanted Teddy to explain.

As Teddy read Victoire's book, his mind filled him with many thoughts about the Whomping Willow. After being in Hogwarts for six years and was a year short of graduating, he didn't understand why he had suddenly gotten curious of the Whomping Willow. For some reason, it seemed to call to him as if it was about to tell him a secret. Of course he wanted to find out why, but McGonagall beat him to it giving him a long sermon on safety and taking fifty House points from Gryffindor.

_"It was calling me!" Teddy protested. _

_Professor McGonagall snorted. "Lupin, trees do not talk." Teddy tried to contain himself from rolling his eyes. Everyone knew that. Professor McGonagall looked at him sternly. "Do not go near that tree, you hear me? It could hurt you more than me taking points away from Gryffindor." She turned and found Victoire looking at them both. "Miss Weasley, since you and Mr. Lupin are best friends, please help him restrain from trouble." Teddy opened his mouth to protest once more, but Professor McGonagall stopped him. "Not a word, Lupin."_

"Are you even reading that?" asked Victoire, suddenly breaking Teddy away from his thoughts. Victoire took his book from Teddy. "If you're not going to teach me then I'm going to ask someone who could I have an exam tomorrow." Teddy didn't want her to go, but he knew that there was nothing he could to do help her at his state. He nodded. "Okay," Victoire said dryly and walked off.

Every inch of Teddy's body wanted to stand up and call her back, but his mind refused. He sank deeper into the couch. He closed his eyes and tried to relive the moment when he felt the tree was calling to him. He had never felt that way before. It wasn't that he liked to cause trouble. In fact, he tried to keep away from it lately since his career of being an Auror like his mother was would be on the line if he kept up his mischievous status. But it was different that that time. The tree called to him like it had never done before.

Teddy stood up and went to the comfort room. He looked at the mirror and smiled. Every time he faced the mirror, the memory of that night when Harry confessed to him that his father was a werewolf came back. It wasn't a mad memory, not at all. Now, looking back at that night, Teddy felt grateful that he had Harry to help him through all of it.

_"Ted," said a deep voice. Teddy curled himself on his bed. He wasn't crying at all. He wanted to, but he couldn't. The shock had gotten the best of him at the moment. Harry sat on Teddy's bed. Teddy's hair turned red. Harry lightly touched his shoulder. "It's not as bad as it sounds. Does it matter if your father was a werewolf?" Teddy didn't reply. "He loved you so much, Ted. I still remember clearly when he burst into the Shell Cottage just to tell us that you had been born."_

_Teddy painfully turned and looked at his godfather. It stabbed Harry like a dagger to see the sad look in Teddy's face. Usually, the boy was very vibrant and never failed to smile, even through the toughest times, like being teased because he was too small for his age and very clumsy indeed. Seeing Teddy so broken made Harry want to stop the conversation then and there, but he knew he had to make him understand. _

_Finally, Harry's face lit up. "Come here, Teddy," he said. He took Teddy's hand. Teddy reluctantly followed Harry to the comfort room. "Look at the mirror." Teddy didn't. Harry gently forced Teddy to look at the mirror. "__How special can you get? You've got a body that can change at will because your mother was a matamorphmagus." Harry patted Teddy's chest. "And you've got a brave heart because your father was a werewolf."_

_"How does that make be brave?" Harry could tell that his godson wasn't convinced that he was special. Teddy looked away from the mirror. "Maybe that's why people avoided me. They knew that Dad was a __werewolf__." He was close to tears, but he didn't want Harry to see them. Harry had always taught him to tough it out. Life isn't always going to be the way he wanted it, or so Harry told him._

_Harry smiled a bit. "You know that some wizards and witches don't like werewolves, right?" Teddy nodded nonchalantly. He didn't care at all. He didn't think that werewolves were that bad, but he knew others did. "Your father was a full fledged werewolf and he stood up through everything. He was brave enough not to get his furry little problem in his way. He had a brave heart." Harry looked at Teddy thoughtfully. "And so do you."__ Teddy looked back at the mirror. "Your parents were very much in love with each other. You are the proof of that. Don't be ashamed of anything. Love, it's all that matters."_

Teddy leaned on the sink. It was one of those tender memories of his godfather that he wouldn't forget. Besides, Harry was right. He needn't be ashamed of his father being a werewolf. It doesn't matter, really. In fact, he should be proud of it knowing that his parents fought bravely in the war. They fought for the greater good.

Teddy thought long and hard. He didn't know why the memory occurred to him. He was thinking about the Whomping Willow. He didn't find any connection in his train of thoughts. Teddy shook his head and amused himself by changed his mouth to that of a werewolf's. Of course he wouldn't be ashamed of his father. He is, after all, the _were-pup_Teddy smiled at the thought of being the were-pup. He turned his attention to the door when he heard someone knocking. He quickly splashed water on his face before going out of the bathroom.

"Surprised?" Victoire asked. Teddy smiled back at her. Victoire looked at his smile. They had been best friends since they were young, lovers since she turned thirteen. Victoire lightly touched Teddy's arm. "You're still thinking about the tree aren't you?" Teddy looked unsure. Victoire tucked her arm under his. "Let's walk over to the couch and get ourselves arm there. You know you want to." Victoire practically pulled Teddy to the couch. "You ought to forget about the tree," she warned.

Teddy nodded. "I will." But both of them knew it was a lie.

Many timed Teddy slipped away from Victoire sight to steal a look at the Whomping Willow. For some reason he knew that the tree wasn't planted there just for anything. Why would a dangerous tree be placed around Hogwarts? For what reason? Teddy became interested, obsessed in fact; but he never told Victoire this. He knew that it will turn Victoire's carefree attitude into much concern for him and he didn't want that to happen.

Many days when he looked at the Whomping Willow, it seemed to whisper his name. He knew it couldn't be the tree talking. As Professor McGonagall said, trees don't talk. But to Teddy, the Whomping Willow wasn't any tree. There was something that attracted him to it lately, but he didn't know what. Why had the Whomping Willow suddenly become special to him when he couldn't care less about in years back?

During the nights, Teddy strolled around the halls. Being a troublemaker back when he began Hogwarts, he had memorized the halls where no professor patrolled. Besides, if he got caught, he'd point out that he was simply patrolling the halls. He didn't want to lie if he could prevent it, so he used every empty hall he knew of to get near the Whomping Willow. Something pulled him. He got more and more curious every night.

"Why are dark circles forming under you eyes?" Victoire asked suspiciously. Teddy waved his hand and dismissed the question. Victoire glared at him. "You haven't been sneaking out at night, have you?" Teddy didn't reply. Victoire's eyes winded. She looked at Teddy unbelievingly. "And you are a prefect, Teddy! How could you do something so reckless? They could take back your badge. I thought you wanted to be like your father? Why put it all at risk just for some stupid tree?" she asked hotly.

Teddy was about to open his mouth and argue when he decided against it. He wasn't going to win over Victoire anyway. He just looked at her. Victoire's eyes suddenly softened and looked sorry that she said it. Teddy tried to look cheerful. Victoire looked at Teddy reassuringly that she wasn't angry with him. Teddy sat back, satisfied. They didn't talk to each other, but they understood each other through their eyes. They didn't need to waste saliva to communicate. One look said it all.

Victoire tried to make sure Teddy wouldn't go near the tree, but she could only go so far. Teddy, being very witty, found ways to near the tree and examine it. The more he neared the tree, the more he became interested. Something indeed was pulling him in. He wanted so much to near the tree as if he could find some revelation there, something he longed for. Teddy didn't understand why, but he wanted so badly to find out.

It was sunny that weekend, June the seventh, when it happened. Teddy was about to turn seventeen sin three days. He was very much happy that he was to be of age and could do magic out of Hogwarts. In one year, he would finally being taking the Auror's tests and would be working alongside Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley who were both working as Aurors. He couldn't stop thinking about his future. With his grades and his talents at Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts (which, mind you, his father taught), he wasn't too nervous about graduating from Hogwarts and finding a proper job.

Teddy looked at the Whomping Willow. He had to find out why he had become to attach to it, why he became very amused in it. It was Jun the seventh when he took a deep breath and went to try out his assumption about the tree. If he was right, then good for him. But if he guessed wrong, then…He didn't even want to know what would happen to him afterwards. Without hesitation, Teddy ran. His heart pumped as he ran towards the Whomping Willow.

Victoire spun. She saw Teddy. "TEDDY!" she screamed. Everyone turned and saw Teddy dive for something near the root. Victoire heart started beating so fast she felt it was about to burst at any moment. "Teddy…" To her surprise, the Whomping Willow froze. Everyone saw it. It was no doubt that Teddy Lupin had finally figured out how to immobilize the Whomping Willow. Victoire hears whispers of amazement around her, but she wasn't amazed.

Teddy didn't walk away from the tree. Victoire hesitated, but she decided to see what was wrong. "Come back here, Teddy. Professor McGonagall said not to go near it." Though she still couldn't believe that he had figured out how to immobilize the tree. In years, she knew no one had been able to do so. Teddy was just bloody brilliant, everyone knew that.

"Teddy…McGonagall said…" Victoire's voice faded.

Teddy looked at the words deeply carved into the tree. He knew those names perfectly well. Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail, the traitor of the group called Marauders. It wasn't that Teddy didn't care about the other words that were carved on that tree, but at that moment, it felt unimportant to him. He reached out and gently touched the one that was special to him, the one that said MOONY.

**A/N: I know it wasn't much, but please review. **


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